I thought that I would post my car shopping experience here. Other people have done so and it prepared me for the circus. Looking for a used Mercedes e350.

First car. Call and get details and pics of the tread on tires. Make sure that the price on the internet does not have any other mandatory fees. I drive 2.5 hours only to find that they have a mandatory $1985 recondition fee.

Second car. Drives great. During inspection I find that the front bumper has been secured with zip ties and duct tape that was spray painted black. It has a 134 point inspection. I guess that the zip ties and duct tape passed. Lesson is that you get what you inspect.

Third car. Great car at a nice small dealership. Not interested because the car had been smoked in. I think that Snoop Dogg owned this ride.

Fourth car. Best bang for the buck and I decide to purchase. They auto add on a 400 tint job. I have it removed. Go to finalize paperwork and they put it back on. Taken off again. Just a reminder that they sneak on charges throughout the process. The sale is not over until you are out of the building.

TLDR; car dealers suck.

post pictures of your new whip!

thanks for sharing

Wagon?!

I recently left a 1 star review for Huffines Chevrolet Lewisville.

Long story short, I saw they listed a '21 Camaro SS with the 1LE package. I've been looking for a track car so I called to make sure it was available. It was and had just been rolled out of service. This was around 4:30. I called my credit union where I was already pre-approved and they spoke to the sales person at 4:55. My lender said she was finalizing the paper work to wire the funds and it would take about 20 minutes. I had left my house around 4:45 in an Uber and it was about an hour drive.

The salesperson texted me at 5:30 saying that another person showed up to test drive the vehicle and they sold it to him. I had my Uber turn around.

$50 Uber and an hour of my time. My lender was pissed.

After the 1 star review their manager called and said he was sending me a check and would buy another and sell to me at cost. It's been about a week and I still don't have that check.

Port Lavaca is awful. Went once and won't go back. Tried the bait and switch on me.

Called Cavender in Weimar and drove an hour the opposite direction. Sales rep told me he would make it worthwhile. Sure enough they did. Very pleased with the purchase and service.

On my recent purchase, I financed through the dealer and had I not run amortization calculations on the spot, I would have missed the bait and switch on interest rates.

Market disruption for car dealers is long overdue.

Carvana has a good concept but they come rife with their own problems. Wish there was a better alternative. Right now most manufacturers cannot sell directly to consumers.

BQ04 said:

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Market disruption for car dealers is long overdue.

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Problem is many states have protections for them the same way alcohol sales work in many states

The Lost said:

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BQ04 said:

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Market disruption for car dealers is long overdue.

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Problem is many states have protections for them the same way alcohol sales work in many states

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Booze, autos, and insurance are state regulated markets and very messy if you live in a crappy state.

Buying a car is the worst. Such a lack of transparency and an overabundance of shadiness.

GIF Reactor said:

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Buying a car is the worst. Such a lack of transparency and an overabundance of shadiness.

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I was quoting Seinfeld throughout the process. When we were test driving the car it was on empty and I was reminded of Kramer driving it until it ran out of gas.

My favorite new trick are the dealerships who advertise vehicles online which are 'In Transit', though they all seemingly never arrive or are already 'bought by someone else a few minutes ago'. But it got me to call...which Im guessing is the intended purpose.

I had two different sales reps, at two different dealerships telling me lies this past week. One told me something completely opposite than what was advertised on the front page of their website, and GMs. It was really awkward when I called them on it.

I obviously want a new vehicle...it's why Im talking to you. Just stop with the frustrating games. If you'll just be honest. You'll sell me a vehicle every time.

Had a dealership outside of a large city put a $900 charge on for a protective coat - for acid rain. Every vehicle used and new had to have it because it was so important to protect it.

If Houston, then agree with them. Vehicle needs all the protection it can get.


In all seriousness, after experiences, I hold onto cars way longer than desired because of the dealership experience. I as well as many other consumers would probably buy more often and spend more if it wasn't such a horrible experience every single time. Stop the games. Stop the lies. Sell me what I ask for at a decent price and you'll be able to turn me over with a sale in an hour.

These stories are why using the contacts in this board are so important. Never believe that a dealership has an exact car at that price based on something you see in on the website or (gasp) the paper! Those are hooks to get you in the door. It's been that way for years.

Private PoopyPants said:

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Carvana has a good concept but they come rife with their own problems. Wish there was a better alternative. Right now most manufacturers cannot sell directly to consumers.

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Yeah, I just recently learned about the massive problems that the online guys had/have with car titles. As in buying and selling cars without having titles and the backlog of months in getting them secured. One of them (can't remember which one) got busted for it.

aggiedata said:

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These stories are why using the contacts in this board are so important. Never believe that a dealership has an exact car at that price based on something you see in on the website or (gasp) the paper! Those are hooks to get you in the door. It's been that way for years.

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LOL, one of the contacts here wants to include mandatory tint, Vin etching and protection plan when placing an order on a new Ford. They do give a $1000 "discount" though. Hard pass.

Shots fired!

I'll share this. Negotiated a deal for my son's Chevy Malibu and after all the dealing and paperwork we get 1 key fob. I assumed we'd get a spare. Nope. Those little boogers are expensive too. They should have disclosed that IMO but I never thought to ask because, hey, I've always, always, gotten a spare.

I Iearn something new every time I buy a car.

uncover&humpit said:

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aggiedata said:

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These stories are why using the contacts in this board are so important. Never believe that a dealership has an exact car at that price based on something you see in on the website or (gasp) the paper! Those are hooks to get you in the door. It's been that way for years.

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LOL, one of the contacts here wants to include mandatory tint, Vin etching and protection plan when placing an order on a new Ford. They do give a $1000 "discount" though. Hard pass.

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That's me and it's $797 total. There are several dealerships that charge that for tint alone.

reproag said:

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uncover&humpit said:

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aggiedata said:

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These stories are why using the contacts in this board are so important. Never believe that a dealership has an exact car at that price based on something you see in on the website or (gasp) the paper! Those are hooks to get you in the door. It's been that way for years.

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LOL, one of the contacts here wants to include mandatory tint, Vin etching and protection plan when placing an order on a new Ford. They do give a $1000 "discount" though. Hard pass.

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That's me and it's $797 total. There are several dealerships that charge that for tint alone.

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It's a scam and $797 too much.

LCE said:

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reproag said:

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uncover&humpit said:

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aggiedata said:

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These stories are why using the contacts in this board are so important. Never believe that a dealership has an exact car at that price based on something you see in on the website or (gasp) the paper! Those are hooks to get you in the door. It's been that way for years.

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LOL, one of the contacts here wants to include mandatory tint, Vin etching and protection plan when placing an order on a new Ford. They do give a $1000 "discount" though. Hard pass.

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That's me and it's $797 total. There are several dealerships that charge that for tint alone.

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It's a scam and $797 too much.

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How so?

Because it's mandatory

Maybe shed some light as to why it's mandatory?

To the consumer it sounds like another $800 bucks for something they see as additional.

Why is tint mandatory?
Vin-etching mandatory? Is this a new service or just another way to recover cost?
Protection plan mandatory? Is that like buying a warranty? Again, what makes this mandatory?

These are the reasons I bought an old truck for cash. I'd rather deal with the greasy mechanic than the greasy salesman.

Teslag said:

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Because it's mandatory

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Fair enough. I just think scam is the wrong word. A scam would be charging you for it and the product not actually being on the vehicle.

I tried a dealership in Wisconsin that had a '21 SS 1LE package. Their price was great. When I got a quote they had taxes and $2,500 for a protection film. I asked why am I paying taxes on a car that is going to be registered out of state, so they took those off but wouldn't budge on the $2,500 protection film. They brought it down to $1,000 and said they were then selling the car at a loss. Suuuuuuuuure.

Anyways, I got the check from Huffines Lewisville and they ordered a '23 SS 1LE Package without a down payment from me. They are also going to let me walk from it if interest rates get outside my appetite and they took off some on the MSRP. If this ends up being true they have definitely righted their wrong.

reproag said:

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Teslag said:

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Because it's mandatory

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Fair enough. I just think scam is the wrong word. A scam would be charging you for it and the product not actually being on the vehicle.

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At least the tint is valuable and I'd get that done immediately anyways. A coworker got some ceramic tint on his new Tesla for $1,300, is that better than the $99 tint jobs you can get off of Gessner?

I think required add-ons are a bit scammy just like hotels that advertise one rate but then tack on $35 a night in required fees. If they're required I'd like to see the full price. Or restaurants/bars that have a mandatory tip.

drumboy said:

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reproag said:

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Teslag said:

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Because it's mandatory

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Fair enough. I just think scam is the wrong word. A scam would be charging you for it and the product not actually being on the vehicle.

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At least the tint is valuable and I'd get that done immediately anyways. A coworker got some ceramic tint on his new Tesla for $1,300, is that better than the $99 tint jobs you can get off of Gessner?

I think required add-ons are a bit scammy just like hotels that advertise one rate but then tack on $35 a night in required fees. If they're required I'd like to see the full price. Or restaurants/bars that have a mandatory tip.

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$1,300 seems very high. We had our 4Runner ceramic tinted for well less than half that (FL vs. TX, I assume).

ETA: To stay on topic, IMO mandatory add-ons are a non-starter. We were in the market for a car this spring for our kid, and I made a mental note of dealers doing this. We will seek out those that did not when we replace the existing cars, which will be sooner than later.

Spoony Love said:

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Maybe shed some light as to why it's mandatory?

To the consumer it sounds like another $800 bucks for something they see as additional.

Why is tint mandatory?
Vin-etching mandatory? Is this a new service or just another way to recover cost?
Protection plan mandatory? Is that like buying a warranty? Again, what makes this mandatory?

These are the reasons I bought an old truck for cash. I'd rather deal with the greasy mechanic than the greasy salesman.

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First off let me say how grateful I am to the AB for your business. Majority of my order have been from TexAgs and for that I thank you. Second I have always said I'm here to try to help you in your car buying experience. I always try to answer your questions, publicly and privately, and give you my honest opinion. I usually talk about this stuff privately because I'm afraid of getting a ban (I've gotten one for less) but here we go. See you in a week (or maybe longer).

It's a standard practice in the car industry. Most dealerships have dealer ads, including the four I've worked for (Toyota/Chevy & Ford/Hyundai). I've tried to tell all of you about the ads at the beginning, but there are time where I have forgot. Of course its added income to the dealership, we are a business, and ours are the same now as they were pre-covid. Here are the ads and what they provide.

Window tint- Y'all know what it is. Has lifetime warranty for all windows not just the front two.

Vin Etch - Thief reimbursement. Vehicle stolen customer gets $2,000 to buy new one and if they come back to either of our dealerships they receive an additional $3,000 for a total of $5,000 on top anything your insurance pays.

Pro Plan - Exterior and interior damage.



Real World Example. Customer bought pre owned Tacoma. Parked under a tree when renting vehicle from Enterprise. Customer now getting new paint job.




Deal Sheet from another dealership (not a TA sponsor) someone from the AB sent me.

AgGrad99 said:

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My favorite new trick are the dealerships who advertise vehicles online which are 'In Transit', though they all seemingly never arrive or are already 'bought by someone else a few minutes ago'. But it got me to call...which Im guessing is the intended purpose.

I had two different sales reps, at two different dealerships telling me lies this past week. One told me something completely opposite than what was advertised on the front page of their website, and GMs. It was really awkward when I called them on it.

I obviously want a new vehicle...it's why Im talking to you. Just stop with the frustrating games. If you'll just be honest. You'll sell me a vehicle every time.

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This might not be as nefarious as you think. Some of the inventory systems are automatically updated using scheduled delivery dates. I saw this firsthand with the vehicle I recently purchased. I checked both the dealer website and the Hyundai shipment tracking. Whenever the vehicle was scheduled to be delivered, the dealer website would automatically change to "on the lot." Once the Hyundai shipping tracking system recognized the vehicle had not been delivered, the dealer website would switch back to "in transit" and the shipment tracker would automatically reschedule delivery for 48 hours later. This constant updating continued for several weeks until the car actually arrived.

I do, however, think it shouldn't be that difficult for dealer websites to update a listing as "sale pending" or "reserved" the same way real estate websites show property listings as under contract or sale pending. I think it took the dealer 4 or 5 days for my vehicle's listing to come down after I took delivery.

While I will always agree with you on the part of being a business and will never fault a business for recovering costs, those aren't mandatory costs.

All three of those options are items that should be voluntary to purchase or not. Some consumers see those as benefits but placing mandatory labels on those charges is where you get the scam label from some consumers.

None of those items/services are mandatory to purchase said vehicle.

Just because it's a standard practice in the industry, doesn't mean it's a good practice. IMO, explaining it as a standard practice just makes it sound more like a scam.

reproag said:

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Spoony Love said:

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Maybe shed some light as to why it's mandatory?

To the consumer it sounds like another $800 bucks for something they see as additional.

Why is tint mandatory?
Vin-etching mandatory? Is this a new service or just another way to recover cost?
Protection plan mandatory? Is that like buying a warranty? Again, what makes this mandatory?

These are the reasons I bought an old truck for cash. I'd rather deal with the greasy mechanic than the greasy salesman.

---

First off let me say how grateful I am to the AB for your business. Majority of my order have been from TexAgs and for that I thank you. Second I have always said I'm here to try to help you in your car buying experience. I always try to answer your questions, publicly and privately, and give you my honest opinion. I usually talk about this stuff privately because I'm afraid of getting a ban (I've gotten one for less) but here we go. See you in a week (or maybe longer).

It's a standard practice in the car industry. Most dealerships have dealer ads, including the four I've worked for (Toyota/Chevy & Ford/Hyundai). I've tried to tell all of you about the ads at the beginning, but there are time where I have forgot. Of course its added income to the dealership, we are a business, and ours are the same now as they were pre-covid. Here are the ads and what they provide.

Window tint- Y'all know what it is. Has lifetime warranty for all windows not just the front two.

Vin Etch - Thief reimbursement. Vehicle stolen customer gets $2,000 to buy new one and if they come back to either of our dealerships they receive an additional $3,000 for a total of $5,000 on top anything your insurance pays.

Pro Plan - Exterior and interior damage.



Real World Example. Customer bought pre owned Tacoma. Parked under a tree when renting vehicle from Enterprise. Customer now getting new paint job.




Deal Sheet from another dealership (not a TA sponsor) someone from the AB sent me.

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Not sure the point of this post. Just because everyone does it, doesn't make it right.

People want to walk in, offer 20k (or whatever) and walk out with the agreed upon price.

Some small dealerships still practice this concept. I bought a truck from Street Dreams in Fredericksburg and there was no bs. Took half an hour.

Quote:

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I do, however, think it shouldn't be that difficult for dealer websites to update a listing as "sale pending" or "reserved" the same way real estate websites show property listings as under contract or sale pending. I think it took the dealer 4 or 5 days for my vehicle's listing to come down after I took delivery.

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I hear you. But what you said here, is my point. They purposefully dont want to update the site, because it's gets people calling or coming up there.

Nevermind that it's frustrating for the buyer.

I emailed reproag and he was very up-front - "I have one car that isn't pre-sold. Let me know if you want it." Saved me an hour drive.